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Belvelly

Towns and villages in County CorkUse Hiberno-English from September 2021
Belvelly Castle, Fota, Co. Cork (20291587808)
Belvelly Castle, Fota, Co. Cork (20291587808)

Belvelly (Irish: Béal an Bhealaigh, meaning 'mouth of the roadway') is a small village on the northern end of the Great Island of Cork Harbour, about four miles north of the town of Cobh, County Cork, Ireland. Belvelly is situated at the shortest crossing point between Great Island and the neighbouring Fota Island. Belvelly Bridge (built in 1803) connects Great Island to Fota Island, which is in turn connected to the mainland near Carrigtwohill. The village has a number of historic buildings; Belvelly Castle, Belvelly Martello Tower and a nineteenth century red-brick school house. The castle was built by the Hodnett family around the 15th century to the annoyance of the more powerful de Barry family, who later seized the castle.The three primary buildings at Belvelly have now been converted into dwellings. The schoolhouse at Belvelly was converted into a dwelling in 1990s, while the castle and the Martello tower were converted into family homes during the early 21st century. Because of the 13-foot-thick (4.0 m) walls and its status as a historical monument, limited structural changes could be made to the Martello tower, with most light coming from the roof area. The restoration of Belvelly castle included the construction of new perimeter walls and a separate garage.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Belvelly (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.883333333333 ° E -8.3 °
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T45 F542 (Cobh Rural ED)
Ireland
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Belvelly Castle, Fota, Co. Cork (20291587808)
Belvelly Castle, Fota, Co. Cork (20291587808)
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Belvelly Castle
Belvelly Castle

Belvelly Castle is a 14th or 15th-century tower house in County Cork, Ireland. It is situated next to the small village of Belvelly, opposite and overlooking the only road bridge connecting Fota Island to Great Island (on which the town of Cobh is situated). The castle was originally built by and for the Anglo-Norman Hodnett family, but was taken by the De la Roch (Roche) and De Barra (Barry) families in the 14th century. The Hodnetts later however leased-back their lands. Some sources suggest that Walter Raleigh occupied the castle in the 16th century, before being reoccupied by the De Barra family, and used by Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery to garrison troops during the Irish Confederate Wars in the mid-17th century.By the 19th century the castle had fallen into ruin. During World War I, the castle received an increase in visitors when local coachmen brought sailors docked at nearby Queenstown (Cobh) to the castle - reputedly under the impression that they were actually visiting Blarney Castle and its Blarney Stone. The castle was occupied and somewhat modified by the Irish Army during the Emergency (1939-1945).The castle was sold in the early 21st century, with planning permission granted in early 2016 for restoration for use as a private dwelling. This redevelopment was completed in late 2018, with additional artworks positioned on the roof of the tower house. The castle's owners are among the sponsors of local football club Cobh Ramblers FC.